The Fruit is in the Valley

"O Lord, when you favored me, you made my mountain stand firm; but when you hid your face, I was dismayed" (Psalm 30:7). Looking from a valley of adversity, its really easy to miss the hand of God. How often do we feel He has hidden His face from us? We know the grass grows greener in the valley. But when we are in the valley its really hard to visualize the fruit of the valley. The valley has the power to create change in more than our habits, it can change our very nature. The size of the valley is often an indicator of the level of our calling, and will help shape our future influence. Knowing this gives little comfort when we are in the valley. When we are lifted out of the valley we begin to see our valley experience was as much for others blessings as for our development. This is consistent with Kingdom truth. For life is lived forward, but understood backward. King David often looked backward at God faithfulness as we was walking forward. The backward look gave him confidence in the forward walk. Valley fruit is best viewed from the mountain. "He reveals the deep things of darkness and brings deep shadows into the light" (Job 12:22). "And there came a man of God, and spake unto the king of Israel, and said, Thus saith the LORD, Because the Syrians have said, The LORD is God of the hills, but he is not God of the valleys, therefore will I deliver all this great multitude into thine hand, and ye shall know that I am the LORD ." (1 Kings 20:28) Beyond a doubt our God is the God of life's valleys. Just as He proved to the Syrians He is the God of the valleys, so He will show us the same. When you begin to realize this, you sit back and breathe a sigh of relief because you know that God was in control all along. It didn't seem like it at the time, but He was. Do you find yourself in the valley? Now is the time to fully trust Him for in His time He will guide you to higher ground. Dr. Ken Copley is available for counseling, conferences, and local church meetings.

When God Takes the initiative

"Then the LORD said to Satan, "Have you considered my servant Job? There is no one on earth like him; he is blameless and upright, a man who fears God and shuns evil" (Job I:8). Please notice it is God who brings up Jobs' name to Satan. The Lord takes the initiative knowing well the events that would transpire. The Lord calls Job His servant, Job was a godly man and a good servant. The Lord is honoring Job, pointing out the the evil one that there is no one like Job on the earth. Without a doubt He is contrasting the misery of the evil angel who so dishonorably fell with the joyful life of His servant Job. Our Lord was saying "You are the very opposite of Job." The joy of the Lord in the lives of His saints bring shame and torment to the evil hosts of hell. He asked Satan where he had been. The evil one answers "Walking back and forth on the earth." He failed to add "Seeking whom he could devour." Satan can boast but he can never triumph, for after Calvary he is a defeated foe. The evil one still walks the earth today,seeking to destroy that which is holy and good. He and a hoard of demons seek to undo that which God is doing in His Kingdom. The only thing that the adversary could come against Job with was a trumpeted up charge of hypocrisy. He says Job is a mercenary, that he only served the Lord for the blessings he received from Him. Satan asked "Does Job fear God for nothing"? The truth is no man can serve both God and mammon. Should Job have served God for the mammon he received, in time his heart would have turned to the mammon. The Psalmist wrote "When riches increase set not your heart upon them." Living an upright life does not mean you will escape the attack of the devil. Holy living can make you his target. He had been checking out Job, but God had placed a hedge around him and Satan couldn't touch him. God in His great wisdom may allow the enemy to attack us to fulfill His purposes. Paul had a thorn in the flesh, Peter was told "Satan will sift you." Job came under horrible attack from the evil one. The early church came under demonic attacks in the form of persecution. The truth is Satan is under God's control. He can do nothing without the Lord's permission. Satan, in essence obeys God. Many believers when under attack, gripe, complain, lay down and give up. James says this we are to "Draw close to God, resist the devil and he will flee from us." He will run like a scared rabbit when we are snuggled up to Jesus. How do we live through times of enemy activity in our lives. By staying close to the Lord, using the Scriptures, trusting the Lord and doing right. Oh by the way, when you are going through a difficult period of life you can count on three of Job's friends to pitch their tents in your back yard. Just as in the case of Job they have come to "Help" you. Their pithy one liners will add to your torment, hang in there this also works into the plan of God. Their time of growth is coming, they will experience their own three friends. Suffering, its part of the Christian life. Victory, its just around the corner because in Christ we are more than conquerors. Dr. Ken Copley is available for counseling, conferences, and local church meetings.

Cheap Grace

“My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have one who speaks to the Father in our defense—Jesus Christ, the Righteous One” (I John 2:1) Have you ever met a "Christian" who claimed they didn't sin? I know a fellow who said he had not sinned in 20 years. One day he backed into a persons' car in a parking lot. He drove away from the damaged vehicle without leaving a note. Several days later, he admitted to himself "That was sin." He blew a 20 year no sinning streak. The truth is this gentleman had been very boastful and arrogant about his "Sinlessness". He constantly ridiculed his wife and was critical of his children. He was living in a fantasy world and the only person he was fooling was himself. Many believer practice "Cheap grace" this means they live as though God ignores or condones their sins. However Scriptural forgiveness is real, that means our sin is real and must be dealt with. We can't ignore it, we can't deny it, that's not grace, its a lie. Cheap grace means living without the demand of obedience upon us. When we disregard obedience to God then nothing can be labeled as "Sinful". No act is clearly right or wrong, this means there is no need of forgiveness. In the verse above John reminds us that we fall short of keeping God's commands. He also reminds us that where there is forgiveness available, it follows that certain actions whether thoughts, words or deeds, can be dealt with only when one confesses and is forgiven (I John 1:9-10). Cheap grace is grace minus obedience, which in essence is no grace at all. In this passage John is casting a glance at those who have left the church, for they undoubtedly claimed to know God. He is saying here that obedience is the manifestation or evidence of knowing God. Obeying God's commands does not require perfect obedience, if by perfect we mean living without sinning. Obedience points to the consistency of our discipleship, not to individual acts taken in isolation. Obedience is our response to a living God and not a check list of rules. God gives us the direction of obedience, its "Walking in the light," as striving to conform our character to that of God. Knowledge of God always expresses itself in obedience, and obedience is always measured by concrete actions. Jesus' obedience was made manifest in the ultimate sacrifice of His life on the cross. The child who knows his parents well also knows their expectations well. The child who loves and respects her parents, honors their expectations. The idea that knowledge of God expresses itself in obedience has its roots in the Old Testament. The prophets especially spoke of knowing God, though more often they rebuked the people for not knowing God (Jer. 9:6). A lack of knowing God did not imply intellectual inadequacy, but rather moral failure to a lack of faithfulness and obedience. Are you walking with the Lord in the light of His Word? Are you obeying the light He gives you? In discipleship nearness is likeness, are you walking close enough to Him that His character is beginning to rub off on you? Have you learned that grace isn't cheap? Dr. Ken Copley is available for counseling, conferences, and local church meetings.

Cliff Catching

Has the Lord ever asked you to step out into a new venture with Him. Perhaps all you could see in front of you was a cliff. Moses felt the same way when God called him to deliver his people from the bondage of Egypt. Rather than simply tell the Lord he wouldn't go, he came up with an excuse. Someone said an excuse "Is the skin of reason stuffed with a lie." Moses said to the Lord, 'O Lord, I have never been eloquent, neither in the past nor since you have spoken to your servant. I am slow of speech and tongue" (Exodus 4:10). Moses disagreed with the Lord, indicating, he knew himself better than the Lord did. Moses refused the calling the Lord placed on him. Moses got into a "I know best" argument with God. I remember visiting with a good man many year ago. He started crying as he related to me that as a young man he was called to preach, and he sort of ignored the call. Actually he didn't so much ignore the call as he put it off for a more convenient time. Many years later he was still lamenting his disobedience and lost opportunities. The Lord reasoned with Moses, demonstrating His gracious patience. "The LORD said to him, 'Who gave man his mouth? Who makes him deaf or mute? Who gives him sight or makes him blind? Is it not I, the LORD? Now go; I will help you speak and will teach you what to say.' But Moses said, 'O Lord, please send someone else to do it.'" God actually relented in the argument. Can you imagine that? But He's not happy about it. "Then the Lord's anger burned against Moses and he said, 'What about your brother, Aaron the Levite?'" God had to use Aaron as Moses' mouthpiece. Have you ever waited to take a step with the Lord until everything lined up to your satisfaction? I started a church years ago, a godly woman and her children began attending services. I invited her husband to join her in worship, he said he would, as soon at he got his business up and running. To my knowledge he never did come to church, and his business didn't fair all that well either. When God calls a person, He uses the talents and abilities He has given that person. The filling of the Holy Spirit makes us competent to do whatever the Lord leads us to do. Perhaps the Lord is leading you into His work. You and others see His calling on your life, and you are mindful that He is directing you toward a new ministry. God's supply always accompanies His will. This is why you need not fear moving into an unfamiliar area if He calls you there. What is God waiting for you to do? It may be your time to step out. He specializes in "cliff-catching." Dr. Ken Copley is available for counseling, conferences, and local church meetings.

What are you filled with?

The theme of filling is important. When I was in Seminary one of my professors came up with the idea that the filling of the Holy Spirit was not for this age. the theory when like this, there is only one verse in the New Testament that commands us to be filled with the Spirit. "Be not drunk with wine...but be filled with the Spirit." Looking at the verse through academic lenses it was thought to teach that we are to have the characteristics of the Holy Spirit. It was explained to me that if a person is filled with baloney, he has the characteristics of baloney. Thus a person who is filled with the Holy Spirit would thus develop the characteristics of the Holy Spirit. This teaching began to catch on and spread like wild fire. During this time period, in the circles I was in, there seemed to be an over reaction to some of the Holy Spirit excesses in another movement, thus is seemed best to strip the Holy Spirit of all power in this age. These "brilliant academics" still allowed to Holy Spirit to save souls and to "help" when you read the Bible. When one of these enlightened professors ended up going to prison for attempted murder the "doctrine" was re-examined.In Colossians 2:9-10 we read "For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form, and you have been given fullness in Christ, who is the head over every power and authority. "The Father, and the Holy Spirit live in Christ, and Christ lives in the believer. God say we have been given fullness in Christ who is the head over "Every power and authority." For the believer it's never a power problem, it's a relational problem. How am I relating to the One who lives in me? Am I trusting Him fully with my life? Do I enjoy sweet fellowship with Him on a moment by moment basis. Do I view Christ as my Lord, Savior and Friend or do I see him as one judgemental legalist who is out to get me should I step out of line. We tend to see our Lord in the light of the "Santa Clause is coming to town" theology. The old song goes "You better watch out, you better not pout, Santa Clause is coming to town." This all knowing legalist is watching you all the time and if you step out of line he is going to only give you a lump of coal, no toys or warm soup for you. Our culture created Santa Clause because they couldn't handle Jesus. The truth is they can't handle Santa Clause. Do you spend your day looking over your shoulder? Do you live in constant fear that you might step out of line and God will zap you. Are you afraid when things are going well that the next shoe is going to drop. Do you assign your trials and hardships to God getting back at you because you did not buck up and do your very best. Maybe it's time to step back and look at God through the lens of the Scriptures. Here is the truth, He lives in us, loves us and has our back. He is very willing to work on our sin with us when we are ready to. He certainly wants us to live out what He has already done in our lives. We are righteous, whole, and forgiven because of His blood. We are accepted in Him. In Christ there is no condemnation for the believer. Jesus loves us and likes us. He is so crazy about us that He can't take His eyes off of us.This same God lives fully in our lives. He is not way out there, He lives right in the center of our lives. "Christ in me the hope of Glory." What are you filled with today?